


Bloody Knuckles

by LittleSpacePrince



Series: Tale Teller's Daily Writing Challenge [21]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Tony, Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Face Punching, Fights, Fist Fights, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Bruce, Omega Bruce Banner, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 09:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13808685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSpacePrince/pseuds/LittleSpacePrince
Summary: Prompt:Warning: someone being a dumbass ahead.In which Tony throws fists.





	Bloody Knuckles

It had been bound to come out eventually, he supposed. It wasn't a secret that could be kept forever, though he'd hoped to get a little closer to his due date before having to deal with the press. But with triplets, the bump was already impossible to disguise, and Bruce couldn't exactly stayed holed up in the compound for the entire duration of his pregnancy without losing his goddamn mind. And life in the spotlight meant life under the scrutiny of camera flashes and paparazzi. 

He'd never asked for this life, and now, part of him regretted getting himself sucked into it. He didn't regret Tony, or the Avengers, or the life that he led, but he regretted revealing his face. Regretted letting the world know who he was. Because with the abandonment of something almost resembling a secret identity came the harsh light of cameras, and the news reports, and the gossip, and all the goddamned scrutiny. 

They had been on their way to an ultrasound when the first pictures were taken of his bump. Despite being wrapped in three layers of clothes, it still pressed tight against them, swollen and tight beneath them. He looked nearly full-term, and still had months to go. And while he certainly wasn't ashamed of the fact that he was carrying his alpha's litter, it felt almost as though something deeply personal had been put on display for the whole world to see. And there was no hiding it from the press any longer. 

It made something like breaking news. An _Avenger, pregnant._ Fucking absurd. He was subject to gawking and mocking and outrage in the tabloids as everyone intruded on their personal lives as though they had some right to do so. He could feel the burn behind his eyes as he struggled not to cry, struggled to stay strong. He'd been marked as the beast, had been exploited and used as a weapon, had been subjected to the harsh prying eye of the public. They had wanted him dead, had wanted him locked in a lab, but _this…_ Bringing his family into it… 

Bruce sat with his laptop perched atop his swollen belly, scrolling through the article after article written on a single picture snapped of him when he wasn't looking. Speculation and commentary on the children growing in his belly ran rampant, and it all felt incredibly invasive, as if they had no hearts, no souls, no sense of morality telling them that this might be wrong. The press never really did have a heart, though. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected from them. 

He could feel them moving inside of him, kicking and tumbling around inside of him, small shifts and kicks and movements that only he could feel, and Bruce wondered how anyone could feel anything but adoration at the thought of them. They were human and they were his and they were everything that he had ever wanted, and yet, there were people debating as to whether or not they should even be allowed to live. Whether or not they should be euthanized in the womb for the fear of creating more abominations just like him. 

They wanted him locked away like a caged animal until they needed the beast, until the Hulk could be used and exploited. They deemed him too dangerous to be let out on his own, too dangerous to possibly live like a human being. They wanted to strip him of his dignity, his humanity, his _family,_ and leave him as nothing more than a weapon. It was all that they had wanted with him since the accident. It was all he ever was to them. It was all he ever would be.

Bruce barely registered it as Tony slipped onto the bed beside him, barely even noticed as he took the laptop away and shut it down, no longer allowing the omega to wallow in what others had to say. He leaned forward and pressed a small kiss against his forehead. Another on his nose, down his neck, over his chest, until he reached his belly. Taut and swollen with their litter, a sight that Tony found himself falling in love with again and again. To think that anyone could be so cruel over something so beautiful… Tony decided that they were just jealous; perhaps he was lying to himself, but he couldn’t imagine a world where anyone wouldn’t be damn jealous of his beautiful, blooming omega. 

“They’re morons, you know. You shouldn’t have to listen to this crap.” Tony murmured in some attempt at consolation, though he wasn’t entirely certain if it was working. Of course Tony knew the meaning and the depth of the life that blossomed and quickened inside of his womb, he was the alpha that had put it there. But the rest of the world would still scrutinize and judge for whatever damned reason they saw fit, regardless of their lives, regardless of their feelings, regardless of their privacy. 

“I know.” He mumbled, eyes downcast as his palms pressed against the curve of his belly, where his hands tended to rest most of the time these days. He kept his focus there, kept his faith there, deciding it better to damn the world and focus on the important things in life rather than listen to the tabloids. But he couldn’t say that he particularly appreciated all the nasty attention, either, no matter how hard he tried to stop caring. 

“Listen… I got a call from Thaddeus Ross. He wants us to come in.” Tony tentatively informed, knowing the long and arduous relationship he'd had with that godawful man.

Bruce groaned. He knew that, when Thaddeus came calling, it was oftentimes better not to run. That man would hunt you down to the ends of the earth until he got his way. After all the pain that he had put the omega through, he didn't want to ever see him again, but some things had to be done, he supposed. Better than the drama that would undoubtedly unfold should he attempt to put up a fight. 

“Now?” Bruce sighed. 

“Now.” Tony echoed. 

Bruce groaned and shifted, a task that was growing increasingly difficult underneath the weight of his belly. He was closing in one twenty-five weeks, but it felt like forty at this point. It was hard to drag himself out of bed most of the time, between the jutting weight of his belly and swollen ankles, not to mention sore hips adjusting and shifting to accommodate the babies. Only twenty-five weeks, and he was already waddling everywhere he went. Exhausting, really. Some part of him wished he could've let the Hulk have his way with Ross, especially for dragging him out of the warmth of his bed, but he did his best to stay logical. Best not to start a fight. 

“Alright. Let's see what he wants.” 

 

\----

 

 _“Pregnant._ You got him _pregnant.”_ Thaddeus screamed, mustache twitching furiously in his rage, nearly drawing a laugh from Bruce’s chest. It wasn't as if he was actually going to listen to the man. The man who had spent years trying to hunt him down, kill him, turn him into a weapon. He went to avoid the drama that would come with running away, but it certainly didn't mean that he was going to care about a damn word he had to say. 

“I did. He's my omega. That's what happens, when an alpha and an omega love each other very much…” Tony replied, feet propped up on the table with complete disregard for anything like respect. 

“You should've been more careful! _Condoms,_ Stark!” He screamed, face turning bright red. “You've successfully managed to knock up the most dangerous man in the world with no regard for the repercussions! You don't know what those, those, those _things_ inside of him could be.” 

_Things._ Bruce grinded his teeth at the sound of it, hand resting protectively over his belly. It began to take a conscious effort not to turn green at the sound of him being so willfully ignorant, so fucking _cruel._ They were children, babies tucked inside of his womb. Not beasts, not monsters, not _things._ There was cold rage in him, a stone hatred that made him want to stand up and let go of any reservations, made him want to choke the life out of the general without so much as turning a shade. 

But he didn't. He held himself together, biting his tongue and focusing rather on the small movements inside of him, regular occurrences now, enough to keep him grounded. He wouldn't risk the loss of control, wouldn't risk the loss of his children. He was smarter than that, smarter than abandoning everything for the sake of his temper. Whatever battles needed fought, Tony could fight them. And Tony would damn well fight them. 

“Firstly, we didn't just need to be more careful. This is what we wanted, dumbass. I knocked him up on purpose, and I'll tell you what, best decision I ever made. You should see him, some of the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, and he’s fucking happy. _We’re_ fucking happy.” Tony snipped, heat seeming to radiate from him as his anger festered. How dare Ross come in and threaten their happiness, insult the thing that they were so proud of. Who gave him the right? He had no right even opening his damn mouth, Tony was going to make damn well certain that he regretted it. “You know I’ve never seen him as happy as he is right now? You know why that is? Because I’m giving him back everything that _you_ took from him.” 

Bruce watched with something of a sense of pride, joyous in the fact that Tony would stick up for him despite all the possible ramifications that came with such actions. Though, for a moment, as his voice got louder, Bruce almost began to wonder if Tony himself was going to Hulk out. 

“Secondly, we took these risks of our own accord. He's not a weapon. He's not some science experiment gone bad. He's a _person,_ jackass. A person, with hopes, with dreams, with ambitions.” Tony yelled, rising to his feet. Bruce had never seen him get quite so heated, not like that. It was always snark and sarcasm, always quick blows right where it hurt, but never rage like this. “Dr. Robert Bruce Banner is a fucking person, who will have kids and a family and a home if he damn well please. And we damn well please.” 

Ross rose to his feet in turn, eyes like fire and fury, to a point where Bruce feared for Tony’s life, to a point where it looked like he had the armies of hell behind his eyes. “He hasn't been a person since he pumped that gamma into his blood, I'll tell you that. He gave up that right when he strapped himself into that goddamn chair. He should never have been allowed out of that lab, let alone allowed to _procreate.”_ He sneered, poking all of the wrong buttons. 

Bruce knew exactly what he was trying to do. Provocation, damned thing. The man was trying to provoke the Other Guy, trying to make him Hulk out, consequently killing the children he deemed unfit to live. Bruce bit down on his lip, biting down the pain and rage and the knowing that he was _right,_ knowing better than to risk it. Knowing better than to let himself go, no matter how desperately the Hulk was begging him to 

Ross turned toward the omega, eyes glancing over his gravid body in utter disgust before returning to meet his eyes. Less than human, not even allowed to claim his own personhood because of a botched experiment, because of the beast that he harbored just beneath the surface. Bruce refused to meet his gaze, refused to give him the satisfaction, but he could feel judgmental eyes on him, watching him, waiting for him to break. 

“If I had it my way, I'd take you right now and have that litter inside of you aborted, and throw you in a lab until the day you die. If your alpha didn't have so much sway over some higher ups, I'd have had you locked up the minute you turned up again in New York. If I had it my way, you’d never see the light of day again, Banner. And when I do get my way, because I _will_ get my way, you had better have this mess you’ve made cleaned up. Because if you don’t do it, I will.” 

That was all that it took to push him over.

Tony’s fist swung hard, landing square against his jaw, sending him falling into the floor. Bruce rose to his feet before turning to Tony with wide eyes, darting between his alpha and the general. Tony was seething with rage, so much so that it seemed to radiate like heat, and Ross lay defeated, staring as though he could hardly believe what had been done to him. Like a god knocked off his throne. 

“Let’s go.” Bruce breathed, urging him forward, not wanting to deal with the mess of cleaning this up. Not wanting to deal with Ross and whatever warrants for arrest that he could pull out of his ass. He hurried towards Tony, taking him by the arm and guiding him toward the door as fast as he could go. 

“Hey, get ba-” Ross started.

Bruce’s eyes shot green as he turned toward him, shooting him a gaze that could’ve killed. It was all that it took to make him cower, knowing full well what Bruce was capable of, knowing full well that he didn’t stand a chance against the Incredible Hulk. Even if Bruce wouldn’t dare let the beast roam free, the very threat of it was enough to put him back on his knees. Brown eyes flashing green, a low growl from the pit of his chest, and a look that could’ve brought nations to their knees. 

“Stay down.” 

 

\----

 

“That was stupid.” Bruce sighed as he cleaned Tony’s bloodied knuckles. This was hardly the first time that he’d done this, stitched up his alpha after battle. Though this was hardly a fight, he supposed. “You’re probably going to get arrested for assault or something.” 

“I am… okay with that.” Tony confessed before letting out a small hiss in pain as Bruce dragged the rag over his bloody knuckles. One would’ve thought that he’d be practically immune to pain by now, with all the injuries he’d sustained on the job. And yet, this was still always the worst part. Bandaging and healing. “It was worth it. He was… Fucking despicable. He deserved worse than what he got. If I could, I’d go back and give him the pounding that he deserves.” 

“You still didn’t have to do that for me.” He murmured, mind flashing back to all of the things that Ross had robbed him of. So many years had been stripped dry of anything resembling peace, so many years robbed of joy or contentment or anything like roots. After all of it, he could’ve handled a few nasty words. “He’s done worse.” 

“Maybe I didn’t just do it for you.” Tony mused, reaching down with his free hand to rest a hand over the swell of his belly, where his hands tended to stay these days. “He was threatening the Big Three. I wasn’t about to let that jackass get away with that.” 

Bruce smiled as he felt the life quicken in him again at the mere brush of their father’s hand against his flesh. Kicks, a little harder this time, a little stronger than they had been before. So far, they’d been too light to be felt from the outside, like his little secret and his alone. But this felt… Different. And judging by the look of surprise on Tony’s face, Bruce figured that his days of soft kicks only to be felt by him were over. 

“They’re kicking.” Tony whispered, eyes brighter than he’d ever seen them, smile spreading across his lips, like he couldn’t believe it. It was infectious, drawing a smile to Bruce’s lips as he sat down Tony’s bandaged hand in favor of the feeling of kicking against his palm. All the more real, all the more tangible. “They’re kicking, Bruce. _Holy shit,_ Bruce, they’re _kicking.”_

Bruce leaned into Tony’s touch and smiled wide, burying his face into the crook of his alpha’s neck. It didn’t matter what the tabloids said, it didn’t matter what Ross wanted, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. This, this right here, this was all that mattered. Damn the world and everyone else in it, the only thing that mattered was right here.


End file.
